ratzinger, and over the function of the vatican, he did such a masterful job that many people believed it propelled him to election as benedict xvi, there won't be those massive public events ahead of the conclave, the public performance during that period becomes much less important than the behind the scenes conversation that will go on as the cardinals of the world begin to gather here in rome. >> there will be speculation about who the current pope favors to be his success sore i imagine. >> benedict made it clear when he he talked about papal resignation in the past, he does not believe it would be appropriate, but people will try to read the tea leaves in terms of what benedict is thinking about this process may be. it should be said, one of the questions over the years, about a resigned pope, precisely this, the potential in the church, where one faction to the church loyal to the new pope and one faction loyal to the old pope, so the extent to which once the successor is named, how benedict can both symbolically and substantively see the passing of the torch, that he is no long